Trust Signals and Conversion Behavior in Cross-Border E-Commerce Marketplaces

摘要

Cross-border e-commerce transactions involve heightened uncertainty relative to domestic purchases, given limited buyer familiarity with foreign sellers, extended delivery timelines, and unfamiliar dispute resolution processes, making trust signals particularly consequential for purchase conversion. This study examines how specific marketplace-level trust signals, including verified seller badges, buyer protection guarantees, and aggregated review volume, influence conversion behavior among first-time cross-border buyers. Using clickstream and transaction data from a regional marketplace platform combined with a follow-up buyer survey, we assess which trust signals most strongly predict completed purchase relative to cart abandonment among buyers browsing listings from unfamiliar foreign sellers. Findings indicate that buyer protection guarantees exert a stronger influence on conversion than seller review volume alone, particularly for higher-value purchases, suggesting that risk mitigation assurances outweigh reputational signals when transaction stakes increase. Verified seller badges showed the strongest effect for first-time cross-border buyers specifically, indicating a distinct role in overcoming initial unfamiliarity rather than ongoing purchase decisions. These findings offer platform design implications for prioritizing trust signal placement based on buyer experience level and transaction value within cross-border marketplace interfaces.